AbstractThe bulk aerodynamic parameters associated with the absorption of surface momentum by vegetated landscapes are theoretically estimated within the context of Raupach's roughness sublayer formulation. The parameters include the bulk plant drag coefficient, maximum u*/U-h, sheltering coefficient, and canopy area density at onset of sheltering. Parameters are estimated for the four principal IGBP land cover classes within the U.S. Southern Great Plains: evergreen needleleaf forests, grasslands, croplands, and open shrublands. The estimation approach applies the Method of Moments to roughness data from several international field experiments and other published sources. The results provide the necessary land surface parameters for satellite-based estimation of momentum aerodynamic roughness length and zero-plane displacement height for seasonally variable vegetation fields employed in most terrestrial and atmospheric simulation models used today. Construction of sample displacement and roughness maps over the Southern United States using MODIS land products demonstrates the potential of this approach for regional to global applications. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.